Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader, said he was relatively confident there would be a deal with the White House “not to raise taxes in the middle of a recession.” He said talks were continuing on the length of an extension to be enacted for the cuts that were put in place in 2001 and 2003.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he hoped for an agreement by the middle or end of next week on legislation that would combine an extension of tax cuts with a renewal of expiring jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.

Officials have said that in addition to tax cuts and unemployment benefits, the White House wants to include renewal of several other tax provisions that are expiring. They include a break for lower- and middle- class wage earners, even if they don’t make enough to pay the government, as well as for college students and for companies that hire the unemployed.

Will this anger the left, or will they see that Obama as a successful horse trader?